[makeitdouble]

> instead of a more self-reflective "nationalism is terrible" or something along those lines.

It used to bother me a lot, until I realized that

- the US purposefully left the Emperor in place with only a slap on the fingers ("you're not a god anymore...except for those who still believe you are")

- all surrounding countries have incentives to to keep distances from Japan (in particular as long as the US are there, Japan and China will never be allies, same for Russia), Taiwan being the exception.

I see no future where Japan nationalism is truly solved, short of these two things also getting solved. And boy is there no end in sight to this.

[Dalewyn]

>the US purposefully left the Emperor in place with only a slap on the fingers

This was a deliberate political decision in an effort to not repeat the grave mistake of how post-WW1 Germany was handled which essentially led to WW2. Denying Japan of their identity and dignity would have risked an eventual WW3, and the US did not want to even entertain the possibility.

It also didn't help that practically all of Japan were not going to see their Emperor deposed or worse; Japan was willing to compromise on literally everything but the Emperor in making peace with the US and the west, and the extended Imperial family along with all the other nobles thereof lost their titles and powers in the post-war occupation and restructuring.

[makeitdouble]

I think we're mostly in agreement. It was a strategic move and it might have helped a lot letting Japan get back on its feet. And it's also the move that left the deep deep nationalism in place and it's still here today.

Perhaps there was no way to have one without the other, but at least I want to look at it as a series of cause and consequences.

Crazy popular anime girl representations of WW2 battleships is the most funniest form of that reality IMHO.